NON nobis Domine!—
     Not unto us, O Lord!
The Praise or Glory be
     Of any deed or word;
For in Thy Judgment lies
     To crown or bring to nought
All knowledge or device
     That Man has reached or wrought.

And we confess our blame—
     How all too high we hold
That noise which men call Fame,
     That dross which men call Gold.
For these we undergo
     Our hot and godless days,
But in our hearts we know
     Not unto us the Praise.

O Power by Whom we live—
     Creator, Judge, and Friend,
Upholdingly forgive
     Nor fail us at the end:
But grant us well to see
     In all our piteous ways—
Non nobis Domine!—
     Not unto us the Praise!

Rudyard Kipling
Written for “The Pageant of Parliament,” 1934